The present invention concerns a device for regulating relative humidity.
It is especially intended for producing paint palettes with a movable impervious cover for, contrary to the case with conventional palettes, keeping the paint as malleable as when it first came out of the tube without drying for many days.
The device may, however, be used for a large number of other applications, for example:
pots or moistening containers for preserving substances impregnated with water or solvents, such as pastes, gels, masses and various mixtures,
shop windows, suitcases, display or transport boxes kept constantly moistened so as to preserve and conserve works of art,
cigar boxes, miscellaneous packaging boxes,
moistening of dry products,
etc.
To date, there are a large number of systems or products for preventing deterioration of the contents of a chamber by means of drying, or on the contrary via the absorption of excessive humidity.
By way of example, it is possible to cite the product xe2x80x9cART.SORBxe2x80x9d of the xe2x80x9cFUJI SILYSIA Chemical Ltdxe2x80x9d appearing in the form of pearls, leaves or cassettes able to adsorb or desorb humidity from the air and intended for preserving works of art.
The patent Nxc2x0FR 2 656 848 describes a paint pail comprising a cover with a gasket equipped with a moistening device provided with holes allowing the solvent soaking a sponge placed in said moistening device to pass towards the inside of the pail.
The device of the invention makes it possible to compensate the evaporation of water or solvents contained in the product so as to delay, slow down or even stop it drying and hardening so as to retain its initial state prior to evaporation, thus retaining its original malleability. It also enables a product to be re-impregnated with water or solvents if its nature so allows, as to restore its malleability or on the contrary extract the water or solvent vapours from the content of a container.
It consists of a closed chamber equipped with a regulating relative humidity system made up of a material able to be impregnated with liquid and able to adsorb or desorb the vapor of this liquid. The material includes on one of its faces a membrane permeable to vapor but not liquid, the membrane having an exposed surface which is hydrophobic, the other face of the absorbent desorbent material possibly including a membrane permeable to vapor in a single direction making it possible to render the system self-moistening or self-drying according to the direction of permeability of the membrane.